Effects of Ibuprofen and Diclofenac Pre-Treatment on Viability and Apoptosis Processes in Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

Background and Objectives: Stem cell-based regeneration strategies have shown therapeutic efficacy in various fields of regenerative medicine. These include bone healing after bone augmentation, often complicated by pain, which is managed by using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, information is limited about how NSAIDs affect the therapeutic potential of stem cells. Materials and Methods: We investigated the effects of ibuprofen and diclofenac on the characteristics, morphology, and immunophenotype of human mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from the dental pulp (DPSCs) and cultured in vitro, as well as their effects on the expression of angiogenic growth factors (VEGFA and HGF) and selected genes in apoptosis signalling pathways (BAX, BAK, CASP3, CASP9, and BCL2). Results: Ibuprofen and diclofenac significantly reduced the viability of DPSCs, while the expression of mesenchymal stem cell surface markers was unaffected. Both ibuprofen and diclofenac treatment significantly upregulated the expression of HGF, while the expression of VEGFA remained unchanged. Ibuprofen significantly altered the expression of several apoptosis-related genes, including the upregulation of CASP9 and BCL2, with decreased CASP3 expression. BAK, CASP3, CASP9, and BCL2 expressions were significantly increased in the diclofenac-treated DPSCs, while no difference was demonstrated in BAX expression. Conclusions: Our results suggest that concomitant use of the NSAIDs ibuprofen or diclofenac with stem cell therapy may negatively impact cell viability and alter the expression of apoptosis-related genes, affecting the efficacy of stem cell therapy.

Effect of Atorvastatin on Angiogenesis-Related Genes VEGF-A, HGF and IGF-1 and the Modulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR Transcripts in Bone-Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Stem cell transplantation represents a unique therapeutic tool in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, it was shown that the post-injection survival of stem cells is poor, warranting a more comprehensive understanding of activated regenerative pathways. Numerous studies indicate that statins improve the therapeutic efficacy of stem cells in regenerative medicine. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the most widely prescribed statin, atorvastatin, on the characteristics and properties of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) cultured in vitro. We found that atorvastatin did not decrease the viability of BM-MSCs, nor did it change the expression of MSC cell surface markers. Atorvastatin upregulated the mRNA expression levels of VEGF-A and HGF, whereas the mRNA expression level of IGF-1 was decreased. In addition, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was modulated by atorvastatin as indicated by the high mRNA expression levels of PI3K and AKT. Moreover, our data revealed the upregulation of mTOR mRNA levels; however, no change was observed in the BAX and BCL-2 transcripts. We propose that atorvastatin benefits BM-MSC treatment due to its ability to upregulate angiogenesis-related genes expression and transcripts of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.